Wasserman-Schultz: West hypersensitive, Colbert hysterical

A week after the e-mail heard 'round Capitol Hill, U.S. Rep. Debbie Wasserman-Schultz (D-Weston) is still surprised about the harsh tone taken by rookie U.S. Rep. Allen West (R-Plantation).

"I've been in public office 18 years, and I've never had anyone speak to me like that before," Wasserman-Schultz told me in a phone interview on Wednesday.

West and Wasserman-Schultz got into a dust-up last week when Wasserman-Schultz criticized West's support of proposed Medicare cuts in a House floor speech.

West responded by firing off an e-mail to Wasserman-Schultz (and copying it to other House leaders), calling her "the most vile, despicable, unprofessional" member of Congress and "a coward," while also telling her to "shut the heck up."

"He sent it to my personal Blackberry," Wasserman-Schultz said. "I've never even had a conversation with him in my life."

On Wednesday, Wasserman-Schultz called West "hypersensitive," saying "he's clearly under a tremendous amount of pressure" for alienating elderly constituents with his stance.

"I conducted myself in a totally appropriate way," Wasserman-Schultz said. "I commented on what he said (in a previous speech), and called him out on the House floor. By the way, that's our job. It's called debate."

With the stalemate over the federal debt-ceiling crisis going nowhere fast (except perhaps over a cliff), I put out interview requests on Tuesday to our dueling reps, Wasserman-Schultz and West.

I haven't heard from West or his staff, but I'll write a post with his comments when I do. In cable news interviews last week, West attributed his tough talk to his military background and said he would not apologize to Wasserman-Schultz.

"I'm not even worrying about whether he should apologize," Wasserman-Schultz said Wednesday. "We've got bigger things to worry about."

About the debt-ceiling talks, Wasserman-Schultz said: "We can't be unreasonable...Compromise isn't any fun, but it's the need of the hour. Only one party seems to understand that, and one party seems strangled by zealots and Tea Party extremists."

In his latest Twitter post on Wednesday morning, West wrote: "Boehner Plan is not a perfect bill. However, the fact Pelosi, Reid and Obama hate it doggone makes it perfect enough..."

Gee, our country is staring at an unprecedented economic crisis, and West's version of statesmanship is straight out of junior high: If my rivals hate something that means it's good.

The flare-up between West and Wasserman-Schultz became fodder for cable news and Comedy Central pundit Stephen Colbert last week.

Colbert, who plays a tongue-in-cheek conservative talk host, chastised Wasserman-Schultz for saying, "Incredulously, the gentleman from Florida who represents thousands of Medicare beneficiaries, as I do, is supportive of this plan that would increase (their) costs...Unbelievable, for a member from South Florida."

He also joked about Wasserman-Schultz's frizzy hair, calling her "the home perm after model."

"I thought it was hysterical," Wasserman-Schultz said. "My hair has always been a subject of conversation. I have a lot of it."

During her career in the Florida Legislature and U.S. Congress, Wasserman-Schultz said she has prided herself on "doing battle in the arena" with political foes while maintaining good personal relationships with them.

"At the end of the day it's our job to be civil," Wasserman-Schultz said. "You have to leave the debate in chambers, and be a human being outside."